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The Marianne archipelago was discovered by Magellan on the 6th March, 1521, and at first received the name of Islas de las velas latinas, the Isles of the lateen sails, but subsequently that of the Ladrones, or the Robbers. If one may trust Pigafetta, the illustrious admiral saw no islands but Tinian, Saypan, and Agoignan.
Mem." there is an account of these reefs, and in the "Atlas," a map on a large scale; coloured red. These reefs project about a quarter of a mile from the shore; coloured red. SAYPAN. The N.E. coast, and likewise the western shores appear to be fringed; but there is a great, irregular, horn-like reef projecting far from this side; coloured red.
A Tahitian sucking-pig was killed and consumed in honour of our successful passage, and our native hemisphere toasted in real hock. On the 4th of June, under 8 degrees North latitude, we beheld again, for the first time, the lovely polar star. On the 17th of June, we passed so near to Saypan, one of the largest of the Ladrone Islands, that we could make out the mountains very distinctly.
The next morning we discovered three other islands to the eastward, which were from ten to fourteen leagues from us. These were, as we afterwards learned, the islands of Saypan, Tinian and Aguigan.
The entire group stretches about 6° 10' nearly N. and S. or 125 leagues. In modern geography, Guaham and Tinian are the largest islands of the group. Urac, Agrigan, Analajam, and Saypan, are the names of some others of the Ladrones. The names in the text do not occur in modern maps. Thirty leagues from Guaham, the southernmost island, would bring them to Tinian.
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